What I Needed
by Tiffany Arnett
Summary: Takes place the night after the episode "Darkroom." Natalia has Anya back, but she is overwhelmed by the emotions the day brought on. Calleigh knows what she needs. This is a light story to play on Natalia and Calleigh's friendship. In Natalia's point of view. *I don't own the characters* Please review when finished reading :)


As I lay in bed I replay the day over in my head. The stress was overwhelming and the fear that I wouldn't ever see Anya again emotionally exhausted me. _What would I have done if I lost her? Christine and I wouldn't recover losing our baby sister._ I take a deep breath and try to push the thought out of my mind. She is safe. She is in the next room resting. The sleep will do her good.

I turn over onto my side and think about that horrible newscast woman who could have gotten my sister killed. The anger built back up in me._ Some people don't care if they put others in danger. I don't see what Ryan saw in her. If Calleigh had not gotten between us, I may have hurt the newscast woman. _

_Calleigh Duquesne_. The thought of her brings a smile across my face. The Southern blonde has long since stolen my heart. Her smile was always contagious, her Southern drawl turned my heart upside down, and I always felt warm around her. I have long since stopped fighting my feelings for her. They were beyond the feelings of friendship. I found Calleigh attractive. _Actually, I think I'm in love with her!_

The thought makes me smile wider as I lay on my back and stare up at my ceiling. The smile slowly disappears as I soon realize, as I have many times, that the love was totally unrequited. Calleigh was in love with men, not women. _If I ever told her how I truly felt, she would end our friendship. She would find it disgusted that I felt that way about her._ However, each day I see her hurts me a little more to know I can never tell her. It is slowing breaking me down, but what can I do? I can't handle the rejection if she turned me away and ended our friendship. A lone tear falls down the side of my face as this realization hits me once more. I look at the clock next to my bed. Four-thirty, I will have to be up soon.

I sit up in bed and pick up my cell phone sitting next to the bed. I go to her contact in my phone and look at that bright smile on her contact picture. I think about texting her and telling her how I feel just to get it off my chest, but the braveness quickly dies as I return my phone to the side table. I get out of bed, slip on my slippers, and check on my sister. She is sleeping peacefully in her bed. I sigh as I walk downstairs to the kitchen and pour me a cup of coffee. _There's no use going to sleep now!_

A few hours later I see the subject of my affection sitting in the DNA lab as if she was waiting on me. I enter and pull my lab coat off the coat stand as she notices my presence.

"Hey, Nat!" She says with that wide, gorgeous smile. I give her a fake smile and slip into my lab coat. She must notice the emotions I am trying desperately to hide on my face as I walk behind the table. I glimpse over the paperwork waiting for me as she approaches the other side of the table.

"How is Anya doing?" She asks me. I glance up at her and shrug.

"She slept through the night okay. Time will tell." I answered before looking back at my paperwork. I want so badly to tell her how I feel about her, but I know I will only get hurt if I did. "Thanks for dealing with that newscast woman yesterday. I'm really grateful."

"It was my pleasure. I'm glad we found Anya. Why didn't you tell me you had a sister?" She inquired. I suppose I never mentioned it. We have only begun to spend time together outside the lab as friends. My guard was still up over the mole fiasco. _Who do I trust now?_ I erase those thoughts quickly.

"I have two actually, Christine and Anya. I suppose it never came up." I answered. Anya was the problem child of the family. Christine had her own family and was married. And here I am in my thirties and I'm still single, searching for where I belong. I already know where I belong, but it hurts to know I can never be there.

"I have an idea. Let's go out tonight, me and you. I'd really like to get to know you better. I feel like there's so much about you I don't know yet." Calleigh suggested with a wide, but nervous smile. _Why is she nervous?_ Despite the pain I am feeling, I involuntarily smile. A night with Calleigh is exactly what I need.

"I would really like that!" I answer with a genuine smile. Calleigh surprised me by coming next to me and pulling me into a hug. The smell of her overwhelms my senses as I feel her wrap me tight to her. After a few moments, she pulls back. Her face is red and she doesn't keep eye contact with me. I nervously smile at her, not knowing what is going through her mind. However, I absolutely loved the contact!

"I'm sorry… I… I just felt like you needed that right now." Calleigh stuttered. I take a chance and place my hand on her arm, really wishing I had gone for her hand.

"Thank you, Cal. I really needed it. And I really do need our night out." I admitted. She instantly made eye contact with me and her wide smile returned.

"Good. It's a date, then!" Calleigh stated as she turned around and walked out of the lab. _Did she say date?_ She stops in mid-step and turns back around. She walks up to me and plants a light kiss on my cheek. She blushes as she looks into my eyes.

"I feel like you need that, too." Calleigh grinned as she walked out. I stand in the lab, watching her leave. My heart lifts and a large grin overtakes my face. _I wonder what tonight will bring?_


End file.
